I Am Not Afraid To Lift

One Similarity Between Single Arm Kettlebell Ballistics

Do you know if I am about to do a kettlebell swing, clean, or snatch in this picture?

NO, you don’t and that’s how it should be.

All single arm kettlebell ballistics, (e.g. one arm swing, single kettlebell clean, single kettlebell snatch), have one thing in common; the body position on the back swing.

Whether you are going to do a single arm kettlebell swing, clean, or snatch the starting body position set up and the back swing to start the movement should all look the same.

The start of each of these movements should look exactly the same. You will only find out if it’s going to be a swing, clean, or snatch, after the bell passes past my knees and ends up in front of me in the finish of a swing, in the rack position for a clean, or above my head for a kettlebell snatch. Start your set up with both hands on the kettlebell, like you are going to do a two handed kettlebell swing, in order to set your shoulders and hips square, and then remove the non-working arm. Watch my set up in the video below before I start my set of one arm swings for how to do this:

Maintain square hips and shoulders as much as possible on the back swing even though your body is unevenly loaded with a single kettlebell on one side of the body.

Even though the load is offset, this should not affect the set up of the back swing. You should not excessively open up your shoulders and rotate your torso as this causes rotation at the spine, with a loaded ballistic movement. Repetition of this position, with load, is not good for your back.

Below are videos that demonstrate the one arm kettlebell swing, the single kettlebell clean, and the single kettlebell snatch. You will see in the videos how each movement starts the same:

If you would like to learn more about the kettlebell swing and kettlebell basics, I will be teaching another StrongFirst Kettlebell User Course at Iron Body Studios on June 5, 2016.

This course is perfect for both coaches and fitness enthusiasts who are brand new to kettlebell training or need to brush up on kettlebell basics, OR it is an excellent pre-requisite if you are preparing to attend your StrongFirst Level I Kettlebell Certification.

I will teach the fundamental kettlebell movements*.

Deadlift

Two Handed Swing

Turkish Get Up

Military Press

Single Leg Dead lift

(*Although not part of the Kettlebell User Course set curriculum, if time, I will also cover the one arm kettlebell swing and single kettlebell clean and how a solid clean pertains to the set up of a strong kettlebell military press. I had time to cover these movements at the May 1, 2016 Kettlebell User Course at Iron Body Studios.)

I will also cover diaphragmatic breathing as it relates to these kettlebell movements, as well as programming and two key principles of programming:

Continuity of the training process

Waving the loads

A $250 scholarship toward the SFG Level I Kettlebell Certification is awarded to those who attend this course and sign-up within 90 days for any SFG Level I.